By George Ofman
Jay Cutler swallowed blood. And you want his offensive coordinator to swallow some hemlock.
Watching the Bears is very tough for anyone to swallow, particularly, the brain trust whose brains can’t be trusted.
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Jerry Angelo pulled off one of the most important transactions in Chicago Sports History by obtaining Cutler but soon, there will be three letters after his the quarterback’s name: R.I.P.
The man is a cinch for concussion. Cutler was pounded to the ground so often he saw more turf than fertilizer.
Fertilizer, stench, and the Bears; it’s very hard to separate with a blender.
Angelo, Lovie and Turner: it’s very hard to blend a winning team with.
Therein lays the problem.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes an offensive line to protect a quarterback. Angelo thought he had the right mix when he hired Orlando Pace and Frank OhmyGod (Omiyale on your scorecard) to be part of Cutler’s posse. Pace is a sure Hall of Famer only he has to retire first and it would be wise of Bears brass to show him the exit sign post haste. Omiyale was finally replaced but Beekman, Kruetz, Williams and Garza didn’t exactly perform like the kind of bodyguards you want guarding the body of the franchise. These are the general manager’s choices.
It’s also the coach’s job to best scheme how not to get their quarterback maimed. If the Cleveland Browns, one of the worst franchises in any sport, is allowed to find Cutler as if he has a welcome mat pasted to his jersey, then what do you think Arizona, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Minnesota will be plotting? I’m thinking Cutler discards the jersey and dons a suit of body armor for the next game. His mobility will be limited but not his life span.
Lovie said “The running game, we’re committed to it as anything, even when you’re not getting yards.” In an effort to protect the franchise, I suggest the Bears run on every play, even if they don’t get any yards. Preservation has its price.
It’s really too bad. The optimism surrounding the acquisition of Cutler was overwhelming to the point some misguided fans, and even a few in the media, were muttering the word SUPERBOWL!
Shame, shame, shame.
The way things are going; Cutler may be looking for a different bowl in ICU.
Granted, Cutler hasn’t made you forget Sid Luckman even though most of us can’t remember who he was. He has as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns. This is not a stat of envy. But it’s also a byproduct of the hideous line, inexperienced receivers, and questionable play calling by Ron Turner, who actually said he’s ready to start paring down the playbook.
Does this mean we rescind the trade of Cutler and get Kyle Orton back? He was very adept at pared-down playbooks.
Say, it wasn’t me who lined up Greg Olsen as a fullback as the Bears couldn’t score on first-and-goal from the two. Turner is figuring he might have to dumb things down because the Bears are making too many mistakes. So, whose fault is this, the players or the coaches . . . or the GM?
There is lots of blame to hand out when your team gets embarrassed 45-10 but when it wins 30-6?
And then there’s the red zone, which should be renamed the H1N1 zone. The Bears look awfully sick when they enter it. Field goals don’t do it for me, especially against a team that might have trouble beating Mt. Carmel on a chilly Friday night.
Be ready, Bears fans. What you see next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals could like NFL 101. If it saves Cutler’s life, I’m all for it.
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George Ofman, an original member of The Score and a veteran of NPR, has covered more than 3,500 sporting events over the course of his career. Comments welcome.
Posted on November 3, 2009